Xavi says Barcelona will draw on their impressive victory over AC Milan tonight.

Although the Spanish side failed to impress in the quarter-finals against Paris-Saint Germain, Xavi believes his team will take confidence from the second leg of their last-16 meeting against the Italians.

Having lost 2-0 in Milan, Barcelona put in one of their peformances of the season, winning 4-0 in the Nou Camp.

“The Milan game was the reference for us,” he said. “We held the ball very well, moved it around, and we had a lot of pressure from the back. We were playing completely on the attack. The Milan match was the most important for us, more than the PSG game.

“We have to dominate tonight’s game, to show our personality. But they’ll also want possession and to take the ball away from us.

“Both Barcelona and Bayern Munich have similar philosophies, similar style. It would be bad to lose a lot of balls and keep running after them.

“Bayern are strong opponents but I think we are coming to Munich at the right time. Ball possession will be crucial, we know we are at our strongest when we keep the ball.”

Xavi expects Lionel Messi to be fit for tonight’s first leg, despite the Barcelona striker labouring with a hamstring injury.

Messi has missed the last fortnight since coming on to help inspire Barca in their second-leg 1-1 draw with PSG. The Catalans went through on away goals, after a 2-2 draw in Paris but looked in real trouble until Messi’s introduction gave them a lift.

Spain midfielder Xavi said: “He’s very important for our attack and you could see we missed him in our last few games. I am sure he will be at his best so we can again see what an awesome player he is. It’s important to have him in our ranks and it will have an influence on Bayern Munich if he plays.”